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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 1, 2008
/ 25 Shevat 5768
FIBER UP!
By
Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If you can possibly do it, now may be the time to add more fiber to
your life. I'm not talking about diet, but rather fiber optic service,
or FiOS, as Verizon calls it. Since the install of this broadband
Internet, television and voice telephone service late last week, I've
been on Cloud 9 - it's that good.
Download speeds are either just above or just below the 15
Megabits-per-second Verizon offered in my service package. Using two
different online tests, I saw readings of 15.4 Mbps or 14.5 Mbps when
downloading an Internet page. That's roughly three times my previous
speed with Comcast's cable-based Internet service.
Upload speeds are close to the 2 Mbps advertised by Verizon; speed
meters clocked the upload at about 1.7 or 1.8 Mbps. More important,
those upload speeds were consistent when tested with servers in
Seattle, Washington; by contrast, download speeds were cut to about
5.6 Mbps from the distant server.
Numbers, however, are an abstraction unless there's some context: how
does the service perform in actual use? Well, whether I'm surfing a
local site or one decidedly distant, such as www.ehawaii.gov, the
state government portal for Hawaii, the page loads super-quickly. I've
seen equally good speeds when loading Web pages I reliably believed
were hosted in Israel, South Korea and Japan, all geographically
distant locations.
I'm also impressed that, generally, there's little in the way of
hiccups with the FiOS Internet service. With my previous Internet
provider, streaming audio would often "hiccup" at the beginning or
during a transmission. Here, there's no "rebuffering stream" message
onscreen when connecting to a remote source. Instead, there's crisp,
clear sound from the get-go.
I haven't used FiOS for Voice-over-Internet Protocol, or VoIP,
telephony yet, but I suspect the experience will be more than
satisfactory. Ditto for online video chats, or so I hope.
The bottom line is that the FiOS service, so far, is exactly as
advertised. This means a consistent experience for Internet use and
the hope of greater multimedia satisfaction. That's important not only
because, well, I'm paying for all this, but also because, if the
future of media is to converge in the Internet, we're going to need
reliable, solid and high-capacity transmissions that can handle all
this data. So far, Verizon FiOS delivers.
Other aspects of the FiOS package should be noted: telephone service
is included, with national long distance a part of the deal. We've got
more channels of television than we'd ever have time to watch. And the
total package, in both the first and second years, will cost less than
we paid for separate telephone and cable/Internet packages.
Using an Elgato EyeTV 200 unit and a Verizon-supplied cable box, I'm
able to watch many of the television channels on an Apple, Inc., IMac
desktop. The computer is also attached to a wireless router
that sends an encrypted Wi-Fi signal throughout our house. Wireless
performance is good, but on the second floor, three levels up from the
basement where my office is located, we needed to add an AirPort
Express module to boost wireless reception. Once this $99 item
from Apple was attached, the upstairs Mac could log on to the
Internet.
One note about the television service: Verizon, unlike Comcast,
supplied an HDMI, or High-Definition Multimedia Interface, cable to
connect the digital set-top box to our Sony high-definition LCD. What
was a very good picture using a "composite" cable now is spectacular,
HD-wise, with the HDMI cable.
I'm sure there will be more lessons as our super-broadband adventure
continues. But after years and years of cable monopolies, it's nice to
have an alternative, and to have it work so very, very well.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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© 2008, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com
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